Huskers Set for NCAA Championships

The Nebraska wrestling team travels to Cleveland, Ohio, for the 2026 NCAA Championships to conclude the season. The three-day tournament will feature six sessions beginning Thursday morning at Rocket Arena. 

All 10 Huskers earned bids following their finishes at the Big Ten Championships, marking the first time Nebraska has qualified a full lineup for the NCAA Championships since 2020. The group includes Kael Lauridsen (125), Jacob Van Dee (133), Brock Hardy (141), Chance Lamer (149), Antrell Taylor (157), LJ Araujo (165), Christopher Minto (174), Silas Allred (184), Camden McDanel (197) and AJ Ferrari (HWT).   

Last season, the Huskers placed second with 117 points, the best NCAA finish in program history. Ridge Lovett and Antrell Taylor led the way with national titles in their respective weight classes, while Nebraska produced eight All-American honors (Smith, Van Dee, Hardy, Lovett, Taylor, Minto, Allred and McDanel).

Taylor holds Nebraska’s highest seed, entering the tournament as the No. 2 at 157 pounds. Five additional Huskers are seeded in the top 10, including No. 3 Hardy (141), No. 6 Araujo (165), No. 3 Minto (174), No. 8 Allred (184) and No. 4 Ferrari (HWT). Lauridsen and Araujo will make their NCAA Championships debuts, while Hardy, Allred and Lamer compete in their fourth consecutive tournaments in pursuit of their first national title.

2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships Session Breakdown:
Thursday, March 19
Session I - First Round (11 a.m. - ESPN2)
Session II - Second Round (6 p.m. - ESPN)

Friday, March 20
Session III - Quarterfinals (11 a.m. - ESPNU)
Session IV - Semifinals (7 p.m. - ESPN2)

Saturday, March 21
Session V - Medal Rounds (10 a.m. - ESPNU)
Session VI - Championships (5:30 p.m. - ESPN)

Live stats and brackets will be available on Trackwrestling.com, and updates will be posted throughout the weekend on X (@HuskerWrestling). The championships will air across ESPN networks, with additional mat coverage available on ESPN+. 

First Round Matchups
125: No. 25 Kael Lauridsen (NEB, 16-11) vs. No. 8 Dean Peterson (IOWA, 14-6)
133: No. 13 Jacob Van Dee (NEB, 17-7) vs. No. 20 Julian Farber (UNI, 18-9)
141: No. 3 Brock Hardy (NEB, 20-5) vs. No. 30 Dario Lemus (MD, 17-13)
149: No. 20 Chance Lamer (NEB, 17-8) vs. No. 13 Joseph Zargo (WIS, 18-6)
157: No. 2 Antrell Taylor (NEB, 22-3) vs. No. 31 Garrett McChesney (EDIN, 12-14)
165: No. 6 LJ Araujo (NEB, 18-8) vs. No. 27 EJ Parco (STAN, 12-7)
174: No. 3 Christopher Minto (NEB, 20-5) vs. No. 30 Riley Davis (WYO, 11-10)
184: No. 8 Silas Allred (NEB, 17-8) vs. No. 25 Malachi DuVall (GMU, 24-5)
197: No. 11 Camden McDanel (NEB, 20-6) vs. No. 22 Devin Wasley (NDSU, 21-10)
HWT: No. 4 AJ Ferrari (NEB, 15-3) vs. No. 29 Luke Rasmussen (SDSU, 11-11)

Last Time Out
Nebraska finished third at the 2026 Big Ten Wrestling Championships with 116.5 points as five Huskers earned runner-up finishes. Nine Huskers represented Nebraska on the podium, clinching nine automatic bids to the NCAA Championships for the third consecutive season. The finish marked the fourth straight year the Big Red placed in the top three at the conference tournament.